Driving a RWD in winter

It has been said that you cannot drive a rear-wheel drive vehicle in winter. Well, that is simply untrue. As a matter of fact, most of the vehicles before 1980 were rear-wheel drive, which meant they sent their power to the rear wheels, and there certainly were winters back then. Moreover, cars didn’t have sophisticated traction and stability control systems, and yet people managed just fine. So, yes, you can drive a RWD car in winter, but there are a few precautions to take.

“Can you drive a rear-wheel drive car in the snow and on the ice? Of course you can! Is it ideal and is it better than a front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive model? No, of course not. But that doesn’t mean it cannot be done”, says a sales representative at Elite BMW.

By their nature, rear-wheel drive cars offer better handling because the wheels in the back get the power. That means that they are pushing the car instead of pulling it like in a FWD vehicle. It’s great on a track, but in winter, it means that you may feel like the vehicle is less stable. Here are ways around that.

Get really good tires

You need very good tires to drive a RWD car in winter. Moreover, if you own a sports car with large wheels, consider replacing those wheels with smaller winter rims that will enable you to fit a tire with more thread on it. Make sure you get the very best tires your budget can accept, it will help a lot.

Keep the safety systems on

The traction and stability control systems will keep your RWD vehicle straight when turning or when trying to get up a hill. These are essential and should be kept on all winter.

Put some weight in the back

It’s not a bad idea to add a bit of weight to the back of the car. Keep some sand back there that will weight down the vehicle while also being useful should there be ice. If you have traction aids, or haul around some heavy equipment that can stay out in the cold, leave it in there too.

When driving on snow or ice, go easy on the gas

Do not slam down the gas or try and pull away quickly. Drive in a linear fashion and wait until your wheels have grip before pushing forward some more. If you have a manual transmission vehicle, take off from a light in a higher gear to reduce wheel spin. Oh, and apply the same idea to the steering wheel and the brakes: go easy.